So we are heading out on family vacation in the morning. This is only our second big vacation since we adopted the kids nine years ago. Four years ago we went to Disney World with a charity called Kidd’s Kids. Kidd’s Kids takes chronic or terminally ill children and their family on an all-expense paid vacation. We were chosen to go because both of our sons have epilepsy a chronic neurological seizure disorder.
This is the first summer vacation that we are venturing out on our own. When we went to Disney World it was November and I did not have to worry too much about sunscreen. We live in Texas so the summer heat here is miserable so to be honest we don’t go out much during the summer so I never really gave any thought to needing sunscreen except when they go to summer camp.
One thing I never really gave any thoughts to is if our middle son who has more of an African American complexion than Caucasian. He is bi-racial but he definitely resembles African American. I know my fair complexion children need lots of sunscreen otherwise they will burn and possibly develop skin cancer. With my middle child George I did not honestly know if he can burn or even if African American people develop skin cancer from sun exposure. I did ask for help from my African American friends about these questions and I will admit they chuckled just a bit when I asked them.
Now I know that all three of my children can get sun burns, they all can get tans and yes they all can get skin cancer and need sunscreen too. The only difference is that two of my children if they get sunburns it will noticeable right away where as my son of color will get darker and his sunburn may be hard to notice on him. They said that we need to make sure we moisturize his skin after we are out in the sun but I always do that anyways. Nine years into being a mom of a child of color and I am still earning every day.